1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to storage assemblies having electronic locks. More particularly, the subject invention relates to electronically programmable locking storage assemblies having limited and varying access.
2. Description of Related Art
As the size of a company grows, so does the need to limit the access of information only to those employees who have a need to use the information. The limitation of access helps to focus the employees on their particular tasks and increases the time needed to locate information when it is out of its storage location. In addition, limiting the access of information increases security of the information.
U.S. Ser. No. 505,037, a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 303,949, filed on Feb. 1, 1989, is of the same inventorship and discloses an electronic interlock system for storage units such as file cabinets. The electronic interlock is a lock totally independent of any other file cabinet although it may have a port to allow electronic communication with a computer, such as a personal computer, exterior therefrom.
The prior art does not disclose an electronic lock used for office furniture wherein the programmable capabilities of the electronic lock are removable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,424 to von den Stemmen et al, issued on Apr. 11, 1978, discloses a portable housing unit having keyboard for receiving codes, which are input by the user, to unlock the electronic lock of a vehicular cargo space. This portable housing unit does not, however, have any capability of programming new or existing codes into or out of the vehicular lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,403 to Gartner, issued on May 21, 1974 discloses an electronic locking system for a door comprising a door and a door jam. A removable push-button switch is inserted into the locking system and a locking sequence is transferred to the locking system. If the sequence matches, the door is unlocked. This system, however, does not disclose any ability to program the door locking system via the push button switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,533 to Nelson, issued on Feb. 10, 1981 discloses a security system having one programmable key. The key has a programmable read only memory chip (PROM), which has several codes therein. When the key is inserted into the security system, the PROM inductively transfers the codes in serial fashion ultimately into a shift register where the codes will be stored until they are moved to the compare logic to be compared with acceptable codes stored in a read-only memory chip (ROM). Although the key is programmable and is capable of holding a series of access codes, the key cannot program the security system by introducing new codes into the security system. This is evident from the fact that the security system stores the stored codes in a PROM chip, which is not programmable.